| Massively multicore SoCs run Linux |
Sep. 22, 2008
Tilera announced a second generation of its scalable, 64-core Tile64 family of SoCs (system-on-chips). The TilePro family, which includes the 64-core TilePro64 and 36-core TilePro36, doubles cache size and improves cache management, while also benefitting from upgraded Eclipse-based Linux development tools, says the company.
Announced in August 2007, the original Tile64 SoC is fabbed on 90nm process technology at TMSC. It includes 64 cores, each clocked at between 600MHz and 900MHz, and each containing its own L1 and L2 cache. It targets network and video devices that require significant application processing. Examples include surveillance systems, videoconferencing, and firewalls with deep packet inspection. Tilera boasts of having some 45 customers for the processor.
The new TilePro family is said to improve the performance of "highly threaded and shared-memory applications" through a technology Tilera calls Dynamic Distributed Cache (DDC). The feature acts as an on-chip communication network dedicated to cache management, and enables the processors to double both the L1 cache size and L2 cache associativity, says the company.
Tilera claims that TilePro64 performance is double that of Tile64 in networking applications such as Snort and nProbe, while offering "35x better performance-per-Watt over the Quad-Core Xeon." The TilePro processors have also gained new instruction set extensions for audio and video. The extensions are touted as delivering up to twice the multimedia signal processing performance, compored to the Tile64.
TilePro64 block diagram
The TilePro64 is said to integrate 64 cores, four 800MHz DDR2 memory controllers, and an array of high speed I/O and PCI Express interfaces. The SoC can encode 10 streams of 1080p H.264 video (baseline profile), and execute over 20Gbps of pattern matching in networking applications, claims Tilera.
New TilePro36
Tilera's first 36-core processor, the TilePro36, is aimed at mid-range (1-5Gbps) networking and security applications, videoconferencing endpoints, and midrange multimedia applications, says the company. It is said to offer three DDR2 memory controllers and a "complementary" set of high speed I/O interfaces. Touted functionality includes the ability to deliver 5Gbps of Snort intrusion prevention processing, and three streams of H.264 1080p video encode.
MDE architecture
(Click to enlarge) |
Like the Tile64, the TilePro SoCs are based on a proprietary VLIW (very long instruction word) architecture, on which a MIPS-like RISC architecture is implemented in microcode. A hypervisor enables each core to run its own instance of Linux, or alternatively the whole chip can run Tilera's 64-way SMP (symmetrical multiprocessing) Linux implementation. An "iMesh" switching interconnect, developed by Tilera's founder, MIT professor and serial entrepreneur Dr. Anant Agarwal, is said to eliminate the centralized bus intersection that limited scalability in previous multicore designs.
Specific performance features for the TilePro64 include:- 8 x 8 grid general purpose processor cores (tiles)
- 32-bit VLIW processors with 64-bit instruction bundle
- Three-deep pipeline with up to 3 instructions per cycle
- 5.6MB of on-chip cache
- Up to 443 billion operations per second (BOPS)
- 37Tbps of on-chip mesh interconnect enables linear application scaling
- 200Gbps memory bandwidth with four 64bit DDR2 controllers
The TilePro SoCs are supported by the company's Linux-based development kit, called the Multicore Development Environment (MDE). The Eclipse-based integrated development environment (IDE) offers a runtime environment based on an SMP Linux 2.6 kernel.
Tilera has upgraded MDE to version 2.0 in order to support the TilePro models. MDE 2.0 also offers a new "zero overhead Linux" option that provides "the timing predictability of a stripped-down task scheduler," says the company. The new version also supports a "bare-metal programming environment with a thin services layer for signal processing and data plane applications," says Tilera.
Tilera's 10GbE
Tile64 PCIExpress card
(Click for details) |
In conjunction with its original MDE announcement in April, Tilera introduced a dual 10GbE PCIExpress card based on the Tile64 (pictured at right). Tilera did not reveal whether it would produce new cards based on the TilePro SoCs.
Stated Omid Tahernia, Tilera's president and CEO, "The TILEPro family delivers on our promise of scalability by giving our customers a software and pin-compatible part for high to mid-range applications."
Stated Nathan Brookwood, Research Fellow at Insight 64, "The new TILEPro64 delivers twice the performance of the earlier TILE64, with only nominal increase in power, while the TILEPro36 comes in at a lower cost for price-sensitive applications. All three versions drop into the same sockets and run the same software-compatible applications."
Availability
The TilePro64 will be sampling to qualified customers in October, and the TilePro36 will sample in Q4, 2008, says Tilera. More information may be found here.
Related Stories:
(Click here for further information)
|
|
|
FUEL Database on MontaVista Linux
Whether building a mobile handset, a car navigation system, a package tracking device, or a home entertainment console, developers need capable software systems, including an operating system, development tools, and supporting libraries, to gain maximum benefit from their hardware platform and to meet aggressive time-to-market goals.
Breaking New Ground: The Evolution of Linux Clustering
With a platform comprising a complete Linux distribution, enhanced for clustering, and tailored for HPC, Penguin Computing¿s Scyld Software provides the building blocks for organizations from enterprises to workgroups to deploy, manage, and maintain Linux clusters, regardless of their size.
Data Monitoring with NightStar LX
Unlike ordinary debuggers, NightStar LX doesn¿t leave you stranded in the dark. It¿s more than just a debugger, it¿s a whole suite of integrated diagnostic tools designed for time-critical Linux applications to reduce test time, increase productivity and lower costs. You can debug, monitor, analyze and tune with minimal intrusion, so you see real execution behavior. And that¿s positively illuminating.
Virtualizing Service Provider Networks with Vyatta
This paper highlights Vyatta's unique ability to virtualize networking functions using Vyatta's secure routing software in service provider environments.
High Availability Messaging Solution Using AXIGEN, Heartbeat and DRBD
This white paper discusses a high-availability messaging solution relying on the AXIGEN Mail Server, Heartbeat and DRBD. Solution architecture and implementation, as well as benefits of using AXIGEN for this setup are all presented in detail.
Understanding the Financial Benefits of Open Source
Will open source pay off? Open source is becoming standard within enterprises, often because of cost savings. Find out how much of a financial impact it can have on your organization. Get this methodology and calculator now, compliments of JBoss.
Embedded Hardware and OS Technology Empower PC-Based Platforms
The modern embedded computer is the jack of all trades appearing in many forms.
Data Management for Real-Time Distributed Systems
This paper provides an overview of the network-centric computing model, data distribution services, and distributed data management. It then describes how the SkyBoard integration and synchronization service, coupled with an implementation of the OMG¿s Data Distribution Service (DDS) standard, can be used to create an efficient data distribution, storage, and retrieval system.
7 Advantages of D2D Backup
For decades, tape has been the backup medium of choice. But, now, disk-to-disk (D2D) backup is gaining in favor. Learn why you should make the move in this whitepaper.
|
|
|
|
|
news feed